No. 3 Bulldogs Qualify For Team Race Nationals

May 10, 2009

May 10, 2009

BRISTOL, R.I. -
The No. 3 Bulldog coed sailing team qualified for the ICSA/APS National Team Race Championship this weekend by virtue of their strong, second-place finish at the New England Team Race Championship for the Fowle Trophy. The Bulldogs, who took fifth at the regatta and missed qualifying for the National Championships last year, raced in FJs at No. 6 Roger Williams. The team took second at the National Championships in 2007 and will look forward to competition on May 29-31 later this month. The team has now qualified for both the team and fleet race National Championships, the first time they have done so since 2007.

The team started off competition on Saturday in light wind, competing in an initial group of six. The team sailed very strongly through the first day of competition, having good execution on all of their races. The top four teams from the Bulldogs' group of six then moved onto a Gold Fleet Round Robins comprised off the top four teams from both divisions.

The Bulldogs sailed quite well in the Gold fleet, especially considering the tough competition. The wind on Sunday was much stronger, with the team putting in many heavy air crews, a key factor to the team's success. The team finished with an overall record of 10-4, only one win less than No. 2 Boston College, who ended up winning the overall regatta title.

"I think that the weekend went very well," Barrows said. "While we didn't end up winning, it was still great to qualify and a lot of things went very well for the team. I think we sailed the best that we have all year. It is certainly best to peak at the end of the year. We lost a few races very close races near the end, but did an overall great job.

The team is next in action at the ICSA/APS Team Race National Championships in San Francisco on May 29-31.